On Sunday, October 16th, six Mountains and Rivers Order students received The Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts from Shugen Sensei. The Jukai Ceremony was the culmination of a week of precepts training for these students who have been formally training in the Order for many years.

Following morning service and period of zazen, the zendo was arranged for the ceremony and Shugen Sensei welcomed the sangha and in particular, family members of the Jukai students. By way of an introduction, Shugen Sensei explained that the Precepts—or moral teachings—along with the cultivation of wisdom and compassion, are three essential aspects of Buddhist practice dating back to the time of Shakyamuni Buddha himself. The Precepts are the first formal vows taken by MRO students.

After taking refuge in the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), the students received the Three Pure Precepts and Ten Grave Precepts. Shugen Sensei presented each of them with the rakusu they had spent the week sewing, the lineage chart of the ancestors and a dharma name (pictured, left to right): Andy Jikai (“Compassion For The World”) Kriger; Kerry Shoho (“Abundant Blossom”) Fristoe; Jude Kushu (“Sky Study”) Dinan; Karen Fuyu (“Courageous Wind”) Spicher; Sandy Joshin (“Deep Peace”) Del Valle; and Judith Taisei (“Authentic Peace”) Schutzman.

Congratulations to Taisei, Shoho, Fuyu, Joshin, Kushu and Jikai.